Proposals to Improve Civil Engagement in a Digital World

As the Internet becomes a driving force in the way we communicate and engage with one another, its proper role in America's civic sphere has become increasingly important, and debated.

A new policy brief by Nicol Turner-Lee, Vice President at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, proposes a set of strategies for transforming the Internet into a place for constructive dialogue that drives real-world policy.

Turner Lee suggests that policymakers and web stakeholders should conceptualize an Internet that empowers and engages people to institute social change and form online macro-communities to engage broad groups of people from all backgrounds, viewpoints, and interests.

President Obama's 2008 presidential bid is cited as a great example of inclusive digital community building:

The Obama campaign married digital tools with traditional forms of community organizing. Where people from the same community might have found each other on his website, they organized meetings at each other's homes or in community centers to advocate on behalf of his issues. Obama supporters used the web to identify districts where more door knocking needed to occur, and campaign e-mails were designed to bring more people into their movement. Traditional forms of community organizing and civic engagement will not disappear with the increase in online activity; instead, the web will surface new strategies for expanding civic and political participation.

The Communications Workers of America strongly believes that the Internet is a powerful tool for increasing civic engagement.

The Challenge of Increasing Civic Engagement in the Digital Age (Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies)

Benefits - E-Government & Civic Participation (Speed Matters)